d have offered myself for the Colonelcy of one of the
Regiments, but I find all those places are wanted by politicians who
are up to log-rolling, and I do not care to be under such persons.

The war feeling is not abating here much, although hostilities appear
more remote than they did a few days ago. Three of the six Regiments
mustered in from this state are now at Cairo, and probably will be
reinforced with two others within a few days.

Galena has several more companies organized but only one of them will
be able to come in under a new call for ten regiments. Chicago has
raised companies enough nearly to fill all the first call. The
Northern feeling is so fully aroused that they will stop at no expense
of money and men to insure the success of their cause.

I presume the feeling is just as strong on the other side, but they
are infinitely in the minority in resources.

I have not heard from Galena since coming down here, but presume all
is moving along smoothly. My advice was not to urge collections from
such men as we knew to be good, and to make no efforts to sell in the
present distracted state of our currency. The money will not buy
Eastern exchange and is liable to become worse; I think that thirty
days from this we shall have specie, and the bills of good foreign
banks to do business on, and then will be the time to collect.

If Mary writes to me any time next week she may direct here to

ULYSSES.

[E.B. Washburn was member of Congress representing Galena. Pillow was
a Confederate general. He had served in the Mexican War, where Grant
had learned to know him.

Grant expresses in this letter the opinion that the war will be of
short duration. Many believed with him that the war would be over in
thirty days. He continued to think this until the battle of Shiloh. He
believed that there would have been no more battles in the West after
the capture of Fort Donelson if all the troops in that region had been
under a single commander who would have followed up that victory.]

Camp Yates, near Springfield,
May 6th, 1861.

DEAR FATHER:

Your second letter, dated the first of May has just come to hand. I
commenced writing you a letter three or four days ago but was
interrupted so often that I did not finish it. I wrote one to Mary
which no doubt was duly received, but do not remember whether it
answers your questions or not.

At the time our first Galena company was raised I did not feel at
liberty t